Rose guitar brings over $2,000 for Hall

Marisa Anders | Claiborne ProgressCarley Hall was able to attend a recent lunch at Pizza Inn, where local talent Jimmy Rose presented her the proceeds from the auction of his signed guitar. Reid and Sharon Parker of Tazewell were the high bidders. From left, Reina Parker Cunningham and her daughter Mary Kay, daughter and granddaughter of the auction winners; Rita McIntosh, Hall's mother; Sharon Parker, auction winner; Carley Hall; Jimmy Rose; Reid Parker, auction winner and Heather Morgan, Rose's girlfriend and familiar face at his concerts.

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Marisa Anders | Claiborne ProgressCarley Hall was able to attend a recent lunch at Pizza Inn, where local talent Jimmy Rose presented her the proceeds from the auction of his signed guitar. Reid and Sharon Parker of Tazewell were the high bidders. From left, Reina Parker Cunningham and her daughter Mary Kay, daughter and granddaughter of the auction winners; Rita McIntosh, Hall's mother; Sharon Parker, auction winner; Carley Hall; Jimmy Rose; Reid Parker, auction winner and Heather Morgan, Rose's girlfriend and familiar face at his concerts.

“Life doesn’t stop when you have a child going through something like that; it keeps going whether you’re struggling or not,” said Sharon Parker recently.

Parker and her husband Reid, of Tazewell, Tenn., have soft spots in their hearts for families working through medical issues like Carley Hall’s family is currently experiencing. That’s why they decided to bid on the guitar Jimmy Rose auctioned off for Hall’s benefit.

“We just had to,” Sharon said at a small gathering at Pizza Inn in Tazewell, where Rose presented Hall and her mother with the money from the auction.

The Parkers were the winning bidders, giving $2,025 for the guitar that Rose used during his tour with America’s Got Talent.

Rose, from Bell County, gained national recognition through the program and recently played a benefit concert for Hall at Pizza Inn.

During the concert, he announced he would auction the guitar and give a percentage of the proceeds to Hall. That night, he announced on his Facebook page that he had changed his mind and would donate 100 percent of the proceeds to Hall and her family.

“I just felt it was the right thing to do,” Rose said. “It was going to be of better use to donate it for Carley than me keeping it.”

Bids came in from all over the country, Rose said, adding bids almost doubled during the last few minutes of the online auction.

Hall, 7, is a second-grade student at TNT School. She was diagnosed with cancer around Thanksgiving and is currently undergoing treatments at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville.

She and her family have spent many nights in what has become their second home. They’ve struggled with the expenses of more or less living away from home and the gas it takes for numerous trips.

“This means so much and helps a lot,” said Rita McIntosh, Hall’s mother.

Hall is just in phase two of five phases of treatment, according to McIntosh. So, they’ve really only just begun their journey.

“We appreciate this more than words can really describe,” said McIntosh.

“This is good. It really helps us,” added Hall.

The Parker family, Rose and his girlfriend, Heather, and Carley and her mother were all smiles as they shared a meal, brought together by the desire to help a special girl.

“We just wanted to do something to help,” said Rose. “I’m trying to set an example and show people that you can always do good.”

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